Documentary Executive Produced by Simone Pero wins Gracie Award

May 13, 2020—
This Changes Everything, a documentary film executive produced by Stony Brook Killer Films MFA in Film Visiting
Faculty Simone Pero, was among 100 winners at the 45th Gracie Awards, announced today
by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF).

Told first-hand by some of Hollywood’s leading voices in front of and behind the camera,
This Changes Everything takes an incisive look into the history, empirical evidence, and systemic forces
that foster gender disparity in Hollywood.

The film, directed by Tom Donahue, features interviews with Geena Davis, Meryl Streep,
Rashida Jones, Reese Witherspoon, Sandra Oh, Jessica Chastain, Tiffany Haddish, Natalie
Portman, Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Maria Giese, and many other influential
voices in the fight for gender equality. It premiered at the 2018 Toronto International
Film Festival, where it was named first runner-up for the People's Choice Award: Documentaries,
and it is currently airing on the Starz Network.

The Gracies recognize exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, television, and interactive
media.

From the AWMF: "This year’s honorees represent the substance and ethos of women’s
storytelling and journalism at its best. Their work during this global state of affairs
– full of innovation, courage and endurance – serves as inspiration today for the
journalists of tomorrow."

Simone Pero is founder of For Impact Productions, a social impact film marketing and
production company. Pero was a producer and led the global impact and outreach campaign
on Jennifer Fox’s acclaimed feature THE TALE distributed by HBO Films, which premiered
at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for two Emmy's, three Independent
Spirit's, two Critics’ Choice, two Gotham Awards, and a Golden Globe nomination for
lead actress Laura Dern.

Pero, an alumna of Stony Brook University, is an active leader and speaker in the
media and entertainment industry, serving as Board President and currently Advisory
Board Chair of the preeminent professional association for women in the New York entertainment
industry New York Women in Film & Television, and as a member of the Producers Guild
of America and the Television Academy of Arts & Sciences.